Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner Cracks Down on Corner Stores

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — City officials in Syracuse are cracking down on corner stores that violate safety and health codes, shutting down one business and ordering several others to close if their owners don't fix problems within 24 hours.

Calling corning stores the "scourge" of many sections of Syracuse, Mayor Stephanie Miner announced Tuesday that complaints from residents in low-income neighborhoods prompted city inspectors to target 10 businesses for increased enforcement.

Local media outlets report that one store was shut down immediately for code violations and five others were ordered closed if serious electrical, fire and sewage problems aren't corrected.

Officials say the store that was shut down had gas and sewage leaking in the basement.

Community leaders say many corner stores focus on selling lottery tickets and alcohol, not healthy foods.

The store served with the emergency shutdown notice:

• Delaware Market, 901-17 South Geddes Street and Delaware Street, where gas and sewage were both found leaking the basement. National Grid was called to shut off power and gas. Additionally, the facility was found without working smoke detectors.

24-hour shutdown notices, which target health and safety concerns and declare properties unfit for occupancy, were posted at the following locations:

• S & R Market, 303 South Avenue, where a sprinkler system certification was found expired and illegal wiring extending to the adjacent property were discovered.
• Food King, 500-04 Oakwood Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where problems were found in the fire prevention and electrical systems.
• Lexington Market, 105 Lexington Avenue where sewage backup, illegal plumbing, electrical hazards, and an out of service fire alarm system were found by Code Enforcement.
• South Mini Mart, 2621-23 Midland Avenue and Ostrander Avenue, a property which included an illegal apartment, sewage backups, and improper electrical wiring
• Midland Discount Market, 1434 Midland Avenue and Colvin Street, which lacked a functioning fire alarm system and had faulty wiring.